Shield for neon tubes



Nov. .27, 1934- LE ROY s. STEINBACHER ET AL 8 SHIELD FOR NEON TUBES I Filed March 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v jenn 5. seembamep Raymond mlhylofi flnhzntnrs B41 Patented Nov. 27, 1934 1;9s2,552 SHIELI} FOR- NEON- TUBES Taylor,

ApplicatiomMarcli 12,1934: .Serial-Nor 715,232:

9' Claims.

or other displays utilizing neontubeswhereby interference with radio reception can" be" preventd. j V p Ai's'f is wellknown to those skilled inthe art luminous displays of this type are formed of a continuous tube" bent to any desired shape and providedwitli' electrodes; the tubes being filled with a"'ga's-sucli as'neon', argon, h'eliu'm ortlie like meeting the requirements. To cachendofthe' tubing" attliepoint of the electrode-isconnected afliigh voltage secondary lead from a transformer.

The" signs. to which we particularly "r'eir' are of vide' a novelform of" shieldfor use in connection -W1th an unenclo'sed sign"ori'the'likdwhereby the radio-activeemanations will be absorbed "andthe operationoftlie' display devicecan -be carried on without'interferin'g; with" radio reception.

Afurtliefobjectis to"provideashieldmade up."

ed' an'gularly relative to each other so asto be" placed in the-most advantageous shieldingposition's necessary'fornie particular display device with Which'tlieya're used.

characterwhichis-simple,compact, and efficient and can be setup readily without requiring the services of a skilled mechanic.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds,

the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a neon sign behind which is supported a shield such as constitutes the present invention, the electrical connections being illustrated in diagram. Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the shield.

Another objectis to providea shield of this invention relates to "a shield designed primax-11yfor u'seifi connection with electrical signs Figure" 3 isa plan view of the sign and shield taken on line 3 -3, Figure 1;

Figurei is a section on line 4-4, Figure 1, the adjacent portion of the sign being shown in plan.

Figure5 is-a plan view of a modified form of shield. V

Figure 6 is a front elevation of a portion of another form of shield..

Figure 7 is a'front elevation of a portion of another modification.

As has already been stated the improvements constituting the present invention can be used in connection with any display device utilizing electrically'charged luminous gas from which radioactive waves emanate. The shield can be made in'various designs and of different materials of proper conductivity, it being understood that the metal used, the type of shield employed, and the area of the shield as well as the location of the parts in order to obtain the best results will all depend upon the nature of the display device with which it is associated. Various forms of. the shield can be used and it has been deemed advisablein the present instance to show and describe four'of them.

In the structure illustrated in Figures 1 to s inclusive there is provided a metal frame 1 the top andbottom members 2 of which provide bearings for the ends of parallel rods 3. These rods can be'rotatably' mounted or they can be stationary. On each of the rods is mounted a metal panel 4. If'the rods rotate the panels can be secured'to them. If the rods are not rotatable thepanels can rotate upon them. All of the panels are so spaced and proportioned that when theyarealinedthey will practically fill the space defined by the frame 1.

Each of the panels is provided with an ear 5 extending from one edge thereof and, in the structure referred to, all of these ears are pivotally connected at 6 to a-connecting bar '7 extending longitudinally of the frame. Thus by moving the bar in one direction or the other the panels 4 constituting the shield members will be moved in unison relative to each other and about their respective fulcrums so as to be disposed at any desired angle relative to the frame 1.

In practice a shield which is substantially ooextensive with the sign with which it is to be used, is suspended in any suitable manner back of the sign, wires or cords W being used for this purpose. Under some conditions the frame can be grounded as shown at G.

It is essential that the shield be placed at a sumcient distance from the sign to permit angular not always desirable to employ for that reason the employment of adjustable shield panels is essential.

Under some conditions it has been found advantageous to arrange the panels so that one or more of them can be adjusted independently of the others. This is especially desirable where the emanations from one part of a sign cover agreater area or are stronger than those from another part of a sign. As shown in Figure 5 the panels 8 can be located in groups, the panels of each group being connected by a bar 9 and each bar being shiftable independently of the other.

In practice it has been ascertained that it is shield panels which are solid. For example, and as shown in Figure 6, each panel 10 can be formed of a metal screen. Under other conditions the shield can be made of a frame 11 having spaced openings 12 and in this frame can be mounted a slide 13 having openings forming shield panels 14 therebetween movable into and out of register with the openings 12. Thus by shifting slide 13 (see Figure '7) the shielding area exposed to the sign can be increased or reduced as found necessary.

As before stated various other modifications ,of adjustable shields might be used with a luminous sign of the type mentioned without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed. Furthermore it need not be necessary under all conditions to provide an adjustable shield. For example a single piece of conductive material cut to proper size and placed in proper position relative to the sign tubing but not fast to the tubing will accomplish the desired result under some conditions.

What is claimed is:

1. A shield for use in connection with electrical display devices utilizing luminous gas, which includes a frame, and a plurality of shield panels adjustably mounted within the frame for varying the shielding area exposed to said device.

2. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shield comprising a frame adapted to be susa plurality of connected pended in close proximity to the sign and shield panels mounted within the frame and adjustable to vary the area exposed to the sign or the like.

3. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shield comprising a frame adapted to be suspended back of and adjacent to the sign or the like and a plurality of shield panels mounted for rotation relative to each other within the frame thereby to vary the area exposed to the sign or the like.

4. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon' signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shield comprising a frame, and a plurality of shield panels mounted for rotation therein about parallel axes. a t

5. Ashield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a .metal cabinet,-.said= shield comprising a frame, and a. plurality. of screen shield panels mounted for rotation therein about parallel axes.

6. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shieldincluding a frame having spaced openings, anda plurality of connected panels 'shiftable relative to. the openings for varying the area exposed to the sign or the like.

7. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the type not connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shield including a frame having spaced openings,'and' 1 panels slidable relativev to the openings for varyingthe area exposedto I the sign or the like.

8. A shield for preventing radio interference by neon signs or the like of the typenot connected to or associated with a metal cabinet, said shield comprising members of conductive material sus-' pended adjacent to but not connected with thev sign, said members being shiftable to. vary the. degree in which they function as a shield. 9. The combination with av neon sign or the j like of the type not connected or associated with l ametal cabinet, of a shield for absorbingand' eliminating radiationsffrom the sign in any.di-.

rection, said shield comprising a sheet of conduc.- ,tive material of an area substantially equal to that. occupied by the sign, said shield being sus-.

pended adjacent to but not connected with the sign.

LE ROY s. STEINBACHEB. 

